Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts, center, seen in 2011, hinted that he would run for Congress on Friday.

An endorsement of a mayoral candidate and a hint about a possible run for Congress pushed the Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts up the NYIndex this week.

Dr. Butts, leader of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, indicated on Friday that he may run for Rep. Charles Rangel‘s congressional seat. He was announcing his endorsement of Bill Thompson, a few days after a poll showed the Democratic candidate nearly tied with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, each commanding about one-fifth of likely Democratic voters in the primary. Mr. Thompson, the only African-American in the running, has been trying to marshal support in neighborhoods with large black and Latino populations, writes reporter Andrew Grossman.

In a bid to prove the polls wrong, Mr. Thompson, who rose through the Brooklyn Democratic machine when it was more powerful, has assembled something resembling an old-school coalition of officials with their own political operations. While both Ms. Quinn and Mr. de Blasio have endorsements from large labor unions, those that back Mr. Thompson represent city employees like teachers and firefighters who will constantly have business before the next mayor. The unions supporting Ms. Quinn and Mr. de Blasio—health-care workers, building employees and hotel workers—have more diverse interests.

Mr. Thompson is relying in part on power brokers in minority-heavy areas, such as U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in central Brooklyn, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks in southeast Queens and state Sen. Adriano Espaillat in northern Manhattan. Mr. Thompson picked up the endorsement of a group of Hasidic rabbis in Williamsburg on Tuesday. One of them, Satmar Rabbi David Niederman, said he would deliver at least 10,000 votes.

The mayoral race is entering its final stretch. Last week, comments about candidates’ responsibility for the results of future public school students’ test scores meant a move in the NYIndex for Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the Board of Regents and Mr. Thompson’s campaign chairwoman.

Dr. Butts moved to 89 from 91 in the list of the 100 most influential people in New York and is ranked sixth in the Non-Profit, Philanthropy and Religion category. Writes reporter Joe Jackson:

Taking questions from reporters, Dr. Butts was asked why polls show the black vote appearing to lean towards Public Advocate and mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio. “You gotta watch the polls,” he replied, calling them historically inaccurate. “What do I say to African-Americans? I say yes, I stand with Bill Thompson because I think he is the enlightened African-American who can provide great leadership for this city.”

The NYIndex ranks individuals on the basis of an influence score generated by media-archive service Factiva, as well as the contribution of their industry to the gross domestic product, and their social media activity.